


still here beside you (please think of me)

by Dusty_Skyes



Series: Land, Sea, and Sky [8]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: AU - Everyone lives, Angst, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Mutual Pining, Unrequited Love, oh my god Teba stop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2017-03-27
Packaged: 2018-10-11 20:36:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10473882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dusty_Skyes/pseuds/Dusty_Skyes
Summary: It begins with a friendship as fragile as glass; with an unrequited love that is mutual on both parts.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Welcome back. Have more angst. 
> 
> Title is from the poem "Remember Our Love" by Julie Epp.

     It begins with a friendship as fragile as glass; with an unrequited love that is mutual on both parts. It begins with a journey, two Rito friends who with they could have something more with each other. It begins with the event of a lifetime.

     It begins with an attempt at death.

     As soon as Teba had steadied enough to be able to speak without his voice cracking, Kass demanded that the other come with him. Shaken from his attempt at death, the Rito doesn't argue against it and nods. He needs to get out of the village anyway. Before they leave, Kass quietly assists in cleaning up the mess, all the broken shards and fragments are swept away. When Teba isn't looking, Kass collects the shards of the teapot and places them into a small pouch. They're big enough that the pot can most likely be glued back together again.

     Maybe, if he can scrounge up enough rupees, he'll even ask for liquid gold, so that the lines shine and shimmer in the light. Just as broken as Teba, but whole and beautiful none the less. His hand brushes along the pouch holding the pieces and Kass can't help but wonder. Would Teba like it? They leave the village together after informing the elder, Teba armed to the teeth and Kass happily humming under his breath.

(Maybe, just maybe, they can work this out.)

**oOo**

     They've just entered the hilly path of the Zora's Domain that leads to the Forest of Zora, Kass chirping cheerfully under his breath as he plays along on the accordion in his hands. He's made it a point to learn the ancient language of the Rito, the one that's all chirping and warbling, more music and emotional tone than actual spoken words, and it accompanies his instruments perfectly.

     Beside him, Teba frowns slightly. He doesn't know much of the ancient tongue—he's not fluent like Kass, which is incredibly amazing and one more thing he loves about the other, but what he does know is enough have a basic conversation and to inform him that Kass is singing a love song. Teba listens intently, focusing on hearing it clearly so his brain can translate the words. How is it going?

     'Thy of the golden eyes, will thou never know my love? Thou whose skill is strong, who is as graceful as the wind itself. Thou whose feathers are...'

     Teba tilts his head to the side. That chirp there; the one that warbles upward slightly about halfway through the note; he can never remember what word it is. Is it white or red? He frowns deeper. Kass would never sing a love song about him, so it must be red.

     He swallows the sudden lump in his throat and tries to keep his heart from dropping. Who could it be? There were quite a few Rito in the village with red feathers. Myuri, perhaps? Asaine? Rhima? What if Kass was singing about a male? Could it be Toho? Teba's eyes slide closed and he drops his head in defeat. Really. He should have known better than to actually think he had a chance with Kass.

     Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, Teba glances around. They're pretty deep in the Forest of Zoras, heading directly towards the Domain on what little path there is, but he's incredibly nervous. There's something else here and he can sense it. Both he and Kass are on the only path, surrounded on both sides by deep water and tall mangrove trees that reach towards the sun and block out the light. It's dim in the forest, though the sharp eyes of a Rito can easily dismiss such a problem. There's something in here with them, though; the shadow of the water is blurry and wrong, and Teba stiffens the the iron-tips on his feathers.

     Around them, the forest is unnaturally still and silent; like the whole world is waiting and watching for what will come next. Kass has long since stopped singing, obviously able to pick up on the tenseness of the situation. The water shimmers, shivers, and Teba is just barely able to block the _thing_ that lunges at them from the water. Kass recoils backwards, leaping swiftly out of the way just as Teba slashes at it with his wings. Whatever it is, it lands on the path in front of them, snarling viciously. 

     It looks like a Zora, Kass muses, but also not at the same time. The thing's skin is somewhat transparent, and the veins underneath course with a sickly orange glow. Every inch of the blue-feathered Rito wants to recoil back further, away from the sheer  _wrongness_ that this thing is. In front of him, Teba readies himself. Bows are pretty much useless in such close quarters like this, not when their enemy stands in front of them. 

     There's a gem in the middle of the thing's face, and it lights up, flickering like a particularly shiny object, and Kass curses because he wants to go over and see what it is. By the look on Teba's face, he's experiencing the same desire. That's probably what the creature wants, too. It wants them to drop their guard, to see what the pretty shiny thing is, and then it will kill them.

     Teba fluffs his wings and lunges forward, slicing at the monster as it darts out of the way. The gem in its forehead goes out, all the spots on its body instead coming on for only a split second. Then it vanishes back into the murky water that surrounds them on all sides. 

     Another curse escapes Teba's beak and Kass watches as the white-feathered Rito turns slowly. They both can see where the water looks wrong; where its ripples are off just the slightest, betraying the location of the thing below the surface. But Kass isn't as good at tracking as Teba is; he knows where it is now, but the moment it moves he'll lose track of it. And it will move eventually. 

     He takes a step back, nervously keeping an eye on the spot. Then it moves, darts under the surface of the water, and Kass curses because he's lost sight of it. 

     There's a snarl, something deep and low and dangerous, and it leaps out of the water at him, fangs bared and claws out, because he's obviously the least dangerous of the two, and Kass has the sinking feeling that this is it. 

     Teba can see how this is going to end. How Kass' body will be split, blood blossoming on the wet ground. He might not have a chance with Kass, but he can at least keep the other safe for their red-feathered Rito crush back in the village. He swore he'd die for Kass, that he'd protect the other with his life; it's time to actually do it then.

     Kass stumbles backwards, brings his wings up in a desperate attempt to block, and feels a hand on his shoulder. With a snarl, Teba yanks him back, shoves him behind him, and Kass tumbles backwards into the shallow water by the path. He spits it out and glances up just in time to see the thing rip Teba's chest and belly open, spilling bright red blood across the path. The white-feathered Rito goes down, dropping to the path in a shower of crimson that stains everything it touches and—

     And Kass _screams_ , calls on an ability that he's only ever used in passing, and hurls his voice into the darkness, forcing the shadows to roar like a Lynel. The thing in front of them starts from where it's half onto the land, immediately jerks its bright orange gaze to search the shadows, and then snarls when a spear nearly hits it. With a shriek of fury, it retreats into the water and vanishes without a sound, and Kass leaps to his feet and races over to Teba's side. “Please, Teba!" he begs, “please wake up!”

     The wound is horrible. It tears through feathers and skin, leaving a gaping gash on Teba's chest that runs from his right shoulder, down over his chest and stomach, and finally ending just above the right side of his pelvis. A sickening feeling fills the blue-feathered Rito's chest.

     Kass can't heal this. He's never healed anything larger than small wounds, certainly nothing that has injured internal organs as well, and something of this magnitude isn't within his power. But he tries anyway, fills his voice with the healing song and as much magic as he can wield at once, and presses it against the wound, trying desperately to mend the skin. He can't lose Teba. 

(He's terrified by the very real chance that he will.)

**oOo**

     It's been quite a while since they brought the Knight to the palace in the Zora's Domain, but he still hasn't woken. His wounds are healing slowly, yet his eyes have yet to open. When asked, Mipha shakes her head quietly. “Mental wounds are always the worst,” she says. “We don't know how long the Calamity had him. He will wake up when he wishes to wake up.”

     Revali glances at the unconscious Knight and shakes his head slowly. “Perhaps, Sidon, we should go out and see if we can hunt down that Corrupted Zora again? It'll most likely be healed enough to attempt something. Perhaps we can chase it off before it attacks any travelers.” He calls his bow into existence and heads out of the room.

     Sidon picks up his trident and traipses after him, quietly admiring the stone trinkets Revali has tying off the ends of his braids. He's rather happy that the Rito likes them so much. Revali is right. Maybe trying to catch the Corrupted Zora would take his mind off of the Knight, and he certainly can't sit around moping forever. He follows Revali out of the palace and into the woods surrounding the Zora's Domain. “Where to?” he asks quietly, taking the conscious effort to keep his voice low.

     The Rito clicks his beak as he thinks. “How about the Forest of Zoras? We haven't been there in a while and the water is deep enough for the Corrupted Zora to travel around in. We'll take the path.”

     “That sounds good,” Sidon says, agreeing cheerfully. “Do you want to lead? Or should I?”

     “You lead,” Revali returns. “You know the area better than I do.”

     Sidon nods, turns, and steps onto the path that leads towards the forest. Normally he'd swim, but with the creature around it really isn't safe at all. They venture into the forest, Revali just as tense as his bowstring, and Sidon grips his trident tightly. There's something wrong here. Normally the place is alive with sound. Not quite as much as it would be without the Corrupted Zora hunting everything, but there should still be at least some form of bird song.

     “I don't like this.” Revali glances around nervously, twitching at every rustle of leaves. “Something is horribly wrong here. It's too damn quiet.”

     “Indeed,” the Zora agrees. They moves for a little while longer, silently watching every piece of grass, every shadow in the water. Twice Sidon hurls his spear at nothing, and twice Revali retrieves it for him, adamant that the Zora not touch the water.

     Then there's a scream, followed seconds after by the roar of what is unmistakably a Lynel, and Sidon's blood runs cold. “What is a Lynel doing in the forest?!” he nearly shrieks.

     Revali wings next to him, but there's a thoughtful expression on his face. “It's probably a Rito,” he explains. “With enough practice or when running on high emotions, we can mimic things so perfectly that even the real deal is convinced.” He clacks his beak and pulls up a little higher. There on the path in front of them are two Rito. One, a white-feathered one, is collapsed on the ground just in front of the Corrupted Zora and is bleeding heavily from a wound that could easily become fatal.

     A blue-feathered Rito, clearly the one who screamed, sits in the water across from the Corrupted Zora. The creature is staring in the woods, searching for the source of the scream, and Sidon takes the chance to rear back and hurl his spear at it. Another shriek, this time the Corrupted Zora, and it recoils away, retreating into the water with a snarl.

     The moment it's gone, the blue-feathered Rito is up on his feet and racing over to the other's side. “Please, Teba! Please wake up!” He drops his head, tears spilling down his face, and starts to sing the Zora song of Healing, desperately pouring as much power into it as he can.

     Sidon glances at Revali. “Can you fetch my trident?” he requests. “I'm going to help the Rito heal.”

     Revali nods and wings over to grab it, silently watching the way the blue-feathered Rito weeps over the other.

(He's so clearly in love with the white-feathered one.)

**oOo**

     Kass sobs deeply; his chest is burning and he's running out of magic, but he can't stop. The wound isn't even a quarter of the way closed and he's going to lose Teba and--

     There's the thud of knees and a massive, red Zora kneels down on the other side of Teba. His hands cover Kass' own and then he's humming as well, the tune echoing through the air. The healing glow strengthens, and the blue-feathered Rito can see as more skin stitches closed. Not even moments later, a trident is stabbed into the ground nearby and another Rito lands with a sniff. “Is he stable enough to carry?”

     The red Zora examines the wound. “I think so. I'd best wrap it first though. My sister will have my head if I don't.” He stops his healing song and pulls a roll of white cloth out of the pouch attached to his hip and Kass stops singing as well, practically collapsing with relief.

     “He'll be fine,” the other Rito says as he helps Kass to his feet. “He'll be fine.”

     Kass doesn't know how he can promise that. It's not like they're important in the Zora's Domain or anything, so the best they will probably be able to get Teba is a decent healer.

(He appreciates the other's optimism though.)

**Author's Note:**

> The [Lyre bird](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y) is a real animal and has the amazing ability to mimic everything from other animals to chainsaws.


End file.
